A council has refused to provide a lollipop person outside a village primary school because it says the road is too DANGEROUS!
In a jaw-dropping example of 'elf 'n' safety gone mad, City of York Council claimed the road in the village of Bishopthorpe would put a lollipop person at risk of being run over.
Tony Clarke, head of transport at City of York Council, said officers had visited the site but deemed it too dangerous for a crossing patrol.
He said: "It is not safe to have a patroller working at this location due to the sight line issues on both sides of the road.
"A patroller spends a large proportion of their time at the side of and in the road and must have a clear view of the road, and be highly visible to drivers, who need to be able to anticipate and react in good time to any indication made by a patroller.
"It would be irresponsible for the authority to not only put our patroller at risk, but children wishing to cross the road with the patroller at risk too."
Not surprisingly, parents have started a petition, saying: "If it is unsafe for a school crossing patroller, then surely it is unsafe for our children."
They said the road outside the school - attended by five to seven-year-olds - has been assessed and meets the national criteria for school crossing patrols.
Dad David Atkinson said: "I honestly think it's an accident waiting to happen. Bishopthorpe is a really busy village. There's so much traffic. Something needs to be done."
York council said it employs 22 lollipop men and women, but parents are ultimately responsible for making sure their children get to school safely.
It provides one lollipop lady near the local junior school, but not Bishopthorpe Infant School, which is close to the main road through the village.
The council added that a crossing patrol is classed as a workplace, so it is subject to its health and safety regulations.
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Tony Clarke, Head of Transport at City of York Council said: " The safety of pupils is paramount and whilst there isn't a statuary duty to provide School Crossing Patrollers (SCP), City of York Council employs 22 patrollers to help pupils and parents as they walk to school. This further supports many existing road safety measures already in place near schools including crossing points, 20mph zones and speed tables and bumps. Although it must be noted that it is the parent or guardian's duty to ensure children get to and from school safely.
"When a request for a School Crossing Patroller is made the site is looked at using the School Crossing Patrol National guidelines to ensure that it meets the national criteria for a SCP. A site visit was made during the morning school run to the proposed site, at Sim Balk Lane junction with Main Street, Bishopthorpe by City of York Council, North Yorkshire Police and a representative of the local community.
"Issues were highlighted which indicated that the location proposed was unsuitable for a school crossing point. A number of issues raised, including that of parked cars, were discussed in detail with the community representative, who was unable to offer an alternative way forwards at that time.
"Many parents choose to cross at this location, even though cars parked at the shops restrict the view. It is not safe to have a patroller working at this location due to the sight line issues on both sides of the road. A patroller spends a large proportion of their time at the side of and in the road and must have a clear view of the road, and be highly visible to drivers, who need to be able to anticipate and react in good time to any indication made by a patroller.
"It would be irresponsible for the authority to not only put our patroller at risk, but children wishing to cross the road with the patroller at risk too."